“He came, he came!”
Usually the sun woke her up.
The pitter patter of young hooves assaulted Scootaloo’s ears, jerking her from her slumber as a riot of fillies and colts dashed out of their bedrooms. Purple eyes stared at the bunk bed above her, and she turned over in her bed, placing her pillow on her head to block out the excited cries and shrieks that melded into the ripping and tearing of wrapping paper. Scootaloo opened her eyes and stared into the darkness of her pillow. Her heart sank into her stomach, threatening to boil over whatever she ate the night before as she sat up and got out of her bed, lazily landing on her hooves.
Don’t get excited. Nothing is there for you.
Her heart beat quickly as Scootaloo passed the threshold to her room, only a few rooms away from the source of all the house’s chaos and noise. Scootaloo turned and walked into the bathroom, sighing as she pulled a stool to stand on. After she brushed her teeth, Scootaloo rubbed her eyes with her other hoof and looked down at the sink. Her attempts to clear her head failed under the grating sound of other fillies and colts enjoying their toys.
Something could be there for you. Rainbow Dash could have snuck something under the tree while the caretaker wasn’t looking.
Scootaloo spit into the sink and washed out her mouth, then stepped down from the stool and lightly kicked it under the sink. She walked out of the bathroom and back into the hallway, but stopped once again as a filly joined her. She smiled and held up her toy, a new Wonderbolts action figure of Spitfire, which blurted out whoosh and explosion noises upon the press of a button.
“Do you like my new toy?” the filly asked. “It was under the tree for me!”
Scootaloo smiled, gulping down the ice that just slid down her stomach, but failed to cool the redness in her forehead. She lowered her head and lightly chuckled.
“Heh… yeah…”
Scootaloo paused as she realized her lack of enthusiasm. As if a switch was turned on, Scootaloo smiled brightly and glanced at the figure. “It looks really cool!” she exclaimed.
Without another word, the filly levitated the action figure in midair, mimicking its sounds as she ran past Scootaloo and out of sight. Scootaloo limped down the hallway, the twisting pain in her stomach begging her to not look under the tree. Celestia only knew what she would feel if her suspicions were proven to be true.
Just take one peek under the tree. There’s nothing under there, but if you’re wrong, then at least you’re wrong for a good reason. Just one peek.
As Scootaloo grabbed the doorframe and peeked around the corner, she wondered if this is what Tartarus looked like.
Over a dozen fillies and colts zoomed around the room, new toys in hoof. As if in a toy store, every type of toy seemed to be on display for Scootaloo to watch. Some unicorns started to use their first chemistry set or read their new books. Other earth ponies threw a football back and forth. Last, but not least, pegasi foals jumped on a trampoline and performed tricks in midair before landing perfectly on their hooves, as if the Wonderbolts themselves had trained them.
Out of the corner of her eye, Scootaloo saw one present underneath the tree, a box as big as the width of her scooter. Her eyes widened.
It can’t be…
Scootaloo couldn’t make out the writing on the tag, and she sighed in relief at the lack of attention given to her as she stepped into the living room. The caretaker seemed to be busy, or at least, wasn’t in the room to notice her. Scootaloo kept her head down and inched across the room, heart echoing in her ears. She shut her eyes and squeezed them tight, hoping that she didn’t lose her balance or crash into one of the many ponies near the tree that were just trying to enjoy their toys.
It’s a present… the present could be for me… Rainbow Dash got me something!
Scootaloo’s forehoof tapped the box, and she opened her eyes.
To: Mrs. Kindheart
From: Your Very Special Somepony
Scootaloo’s knees threatened to fail her as the reality of the present sank into her mind. Her head began to sway as she stepped back from the present and slowly made her across the room, head hung low.
I… it’s fine. Maybe they just forgot, and they’ll bring presents later.
Scootaloo paused at the doorway and shut her eyes tight.
Don’t be so selfish, Scootaloo. Hearth’s Warming Eve isn’t about presents. It’s about spending time with your friends and family.
Scootaloo’s stomach boiled over, angry due to lack of food as she looked towards the hallway that pointed to the bedrooms, and the one bedroom at the end where the caretaker slept. Everyone was busy with their new toys, and the caretaker was asleep, which meant that she was completely off the radar. If she left, no one would notice.
Scootaloo walked to her room and grabbed her scooter, along with clipping her helmet to her head.
That’s fine. I can’t just sit here and have things come to me. I’ll just visit my friends and wish them a Happy Hearth’s Warming Eve! No presents required.
Scootaloo put on a hopeful smile as she walked out of her room and over to the front door. She opened it, allowing the chill of the Winter air to brush up against her muzzle. She then mounted her scooter, descended the porch steps, and zipped down the road.
I’m sure they have room for me!
~~~
The Unicorn residence has been vacated for the weekend of Hearth’s Warming Eve. This includes Rarity of Carousel Boutique. If you have questions about any orders, please leave a message and—
Scootaloo stopped reading and stepped onto the grass. Moving closer, she pressed her face against the living room window, trying to make out any silhouettes through the drawn curtains. Unfortunately, there was nothing to be seen in the dark house. The note seemed to be true to its word.
“Oh…”
Scootaloo stepped back from the window and looked back to the note. Reading it again, she hoped that she was in a dream. The truth however began to weigh firmly on her shoulders.
I mean… that’s fine. Sweetie Belle had family arrangements, I guess.
Scootaloo turned her back to the building and mounted her scooter again. She bit her lip and glided onto the dirt road towards Sweet Apple Acres. She rode significantly slower than back at the orphanage, barely traveling down the path. Her heart pounded in her chest, thoughts thrashing around in her head.
What if she’s gone too?
Scootaloo then shook her head and sped up, plastering a smile on her face. She kept her head down, mimicking a filly in thought. She was in public. She had to look like she was okay.
You can’t think that way, Scootaloo. One doesn’t mean three. I’m sure there’s a good reason for her absence.
Scootaloo’s vision began to blur as she spaced out, but continued to ride.
I do remember Sweetie Belle saying something about plans with her parents. But… why wouldn’t she at least come and visit to say good bye? I mean… she didn’t have to… I guess. But why wouldn’t she come visit me? Did I oversleep? Did she visit while I was sleeping and decided not to wake me up? No… Mrs. Kindheart would have woken me up if I had a visitor. That means that she didn’t come and visit me, even though she knows that I wanted to see her on Hearth’s Warming Eve.
Scootaloo slowed down to a mere walk as her ears drooped.
I guess I’ll see her when she comes back. Today sucks… but at least I have Rainbow Dash and Apple Bloom… right?
~~~
“Well I’ll be, Apple Bloom! These apple fritters that you cooked up are so good, I bet I could eat ‘em faster than you can cook ‘em!”
Apple Bloom giggled as she held out the fresh batch of fritters, an oven saddle protecting her back from the hot pan. One of her relatives grabbed a fritter with a napkin and blew on it, before popping it into his mouth.
“Thanks, Apple Juice!” Apple Bloom squeaked as all of the fritters were taken out of the pan.
“Mmm… oh Celestia, this reminds me of that story when Applejack decided to eat all of our fritters one day.”
“Ugh, we always have to hear that story,” Applejack replied as she stood near the hallway. “If we’re gonna tell it, why don’t we wait for everypony to get here so that you don’t have to repeat yourself?”
“I could tell it word by word!” Apple Bloom added as she rushed into the living room, another tray of apple fritters on her back.
Applejack stepped into the living room and smiled as all the Apples in the room focused on Apple Bloom. She rolled her eyes and laughed. “Fine then, Apple Bloom. Go ahead and tell them while I help Big Mac and Granny Smith with breakfast.”
“Sure!”
~~~
Scootaloo let go of the windowsill and fell onto her hooves as Apple Bloom began telling the story. She sat on her haunches and stared down at the ground. She clasped her scooter, hugging it with increasing ferocity as she endured the pain that shot through her forelegs from trying to squeeze it too hard.
I had a feeling that Apple Bloom had plans too.
The sound of hooves clopping in her direction made Scootaloo’s heart shoot up into her throat. She remained completely still, hidden behind the bush as two ponies walked past her. They approached the front door and knocked. The door opened and Scootaloo could hear Apple Bloom gasp.
“Braeburn! I didn’t think I’d see you until later!” Apple Bloom cried.
“Well, Summer got up a little early, so we caught an earlier train than we planned,” Braeburn replied as he laughed.
“Alrighty! Come on in!”
The door slammed shut and Scootaloo sighed. The winter air began to chill more than her fur as Scootaloo stood up and walked around the corner of the house. Her ears flicked up as she heard a groan through an open kitchen window.
“We gotta cook a little faster, Big Mac. I think Braeburn and Summer didn’t even eat when they got on the train.”
“Eeyup.”
Scootaloo sank beneath the kitchen window, eyes staring up at the windowsill. She could climb up onto it, but she paused and waited instead.
“Okay! Soups on!” Granny Smith replied as she rang a bell. Scootaloo heard one of the relatives speak, after the bell quieted.
“Woowhee! I hope you guys got enough food ready. 'Cause if the Apples are as hungry as I am, then you’re gonna be cookin' in here the whole day!”
Scootaloo sank against the wall, falling to her haunches as Applejack laughed.
“It’s fine, Apple Juice. You’re gonna miss the best part of the story if you stay in here! Here, take these fritters on your way out.”
“Eeyup.”
“Applejack! More fritters please!”
“Comin’ right up, Apple Bloom!”
Shoulda known that they would be busy.
Scootaloo stood up and stared at the front door. After a few seconds, she sighed and mounted her scooter.
I have no business being here. No matter how much I want to, if I’m just gonna be another troublesome mouth to feed, I can’t disturb them. I’m not family…
Scootaloo slipped out from the bushes and turned towards the dirt road. Her vision began to blur with tears as she pushed off with her wings, shooting onto into the dirt road and out of Sweet Apple Acres.
~~~
Don’t cry, Scootaloo. You’re a big girl… big girls don’t cry.
Scootaloo pressed her hoof to the ground, slowing down until the shadow of a familiar house in the sky enveloped her. She threw off her helmet and looked up at Rainbow Dash’s house. After wiping her eyes, she stepped away from her scooter, allowing it to fall to the ground.
“Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo yelled.
No response.
A single rain drop fell onto Scootaloo’s muzzle as she waited. Five seconds passed, then ten. Scootaloo swallowed her emotions as she called out again, voice quivering.
“Rainbow Dash! Are you awake!?”
More silence.
Scootaloo began to sob. She shut her eyes tight and looked down at the ground, trying her hardest to keep the tears from sliding down her cheeks. As the clouds in the sky, well above Rainbow’s house began to sprinkle onto her, Scootaloo fell to her haunches again.
“Please, Rainbow Dash! You have to come out!”
Scootaloo’s voice grew hoarse as she called out again and again. She sobbed and blinked a tear onto the ground as the Winter chill began to envelop her. She laid down on the dirt, allowing the rain to assault her form as she stared up into the bottom of Rainbow’s house.
“Why me?” Scootaloo simply asked as a particularly big raindrop splashed on her eye, forcing her to close it. “Why today, of all days? My friends, and my soul sister are too busy to spend time with me. Is there something wrong with me? Is it because I don’t have a family, and they don’t want to admit it in front of their families that they are friends with an orphan?
“Am I just a friend that they hang out with because they have nothing better to do?!”
Scootaloo stood up and looked around the field surrounding her. She saw a rock and picked it up, before she yelled in rage and threw it towards one of the nearby trees. The rock pinged off of the tree and fell out of sight. She seethed with rage as she stood still, looking between Rainbow’s house and the road that lead back into Ponyville.
“Do they hang out with me out of pity? All of them? What kind of loyal sister are you!?”
Scootaloo grabbed her scooter and looked up at Rainbow’s house. She threw her scooter up in the air. It soared in an arc before it crashed back to the ground, not even close to touching Rainbow’s dwelling.
Scootaloo heard a gasp behind her and she turned to see a couple standing on the dirt road, the color quickly leaving their faces. Scootaloo stepped towards them, growling as she glared.
“What do you want!?” she asked.
Without any words, the couple sprinted away, disappearing out of sight.
Scootaloo seethed in anger, but her posture quickly began to straighten as she looked over at her scratched scooter.
No one’s gonna be your friend if you lash out like that.
Scootaloo walked over to her scooter and picked it up, along with her helmet.
“You’re being selfish. Your friends have business to attend to. It’s Hearth’s Warming Eve, they’ll find you eventually.”
She mounted her scooter again and sighed as she stepped onto the road out of Ponyville.
“They’ll come looking for me when they are done with their plans. I might as well be useful and practice my flying.”
With a heavy heart and soaked body, Scootaloo started down the road, eyes on the ground as the crackling of thunder failed to penetrate her thoughts.
~~~
They never came, but at least the rain could keep her company.
Moonlight illuminated the filly’s form, putting it on display for any that watched as she jumped off the stage. She struggled, her wings keeping her in the air for seconds before she cried out and fell onto a puddle of mud, burying her face into it.
Scootaloo sobbed and rolled onto her back, rain tickling her face. She kept her eyes closed. As if a spotlight to her inadequacy, the light continued to shine down upon her as she sat on her haunches and wiped the mud off her face. She looked up at the moon and felt her eyes water from Luna’s elegant display of beauty.
Was the moon always like this, a perfect paragon of beauty? Not even the rain clouds dared to block its radiance, as if it was a mortal sin to do so. Did Princess Luna even think about the child that she had the privilege of raising? The white sphere, despite the imperfections upon its surface, was able to perform its job since its inception. Apart from the few times when chaos decided to reign over Equestria, the moon had never failed its subjects.
Scootaloo looked down at the ground as she fluttered her wings, not expecting any effect except for the water to shoot off of her wings, only to be wet with the rain again.
“I wonder if Rainbow Dash knows what it feels like to touch the stars,” Scootaloo mumbled as she bit back her sobs.
But I’m me, you’re you.
A pegasus your age that can’t fly?
Scootaloo stood up and walked back to the stage, ascending the steps to bring her a few yards off of the ground. She spared a glance behind her towards the backdrop, bit her lip and faced forward as images of streamers tied around her wings flashed across her vision. The stage would be moved back into storage soon since the recent Hearth’s Warming Eve play was over and done with. She remembered attending, but the memory of what it was about escaped her. She looked down at the grass and mud, her pupils turning into pinpricks from the numerous imprints of her face in the ground. The pain in her wings told her that she had been out here for hours, but Scootaloo merely flared her wings once more and stared ahead.
“I’m me… and she’s her… That may be true, Rainbow Dash. But you know what I am? A flier!”
Scootaloo shot off of the platform and hovered in the air, soaring sideways until she descended almost instantly and crashed into the muddy ground once more. A cold draft chilled the tears that collected in her eyes as she raised her head again, mud dripping from her mane and head. Scootaloo sobbed and wiped her nose with a hoof as she stood up again.
“What’s the use?” Scootaloo asked the rain that continued to beat against her. Scootaloo shivered and turned towards the platform again, but a shooting pain in her foreleg dropped her to her haunches when she tried to take a step.
“OW!”
Scootaloo sobbed as she nursed her leg and rolled on her side. Her face began to heat up in anger.
“Ow… why… why now?”
Scootaloo glared at the illuminated platform once more. Her entire body shook as she seethed in a cocktail of anger and depression. Her accusation turned towards the moon above her as it remained in the sky, unhindered by her pain.
“I can’t rest,” Scootaloo muttered as she rose to her haunches, only to pathetically fall to her side again with a wail of pain. “I’m not done… I’m not ready to quit!”
She slammed her good forehoof into the ground and buried her head into a nearby pile of mud so that she could scream. Her anguish and anger reverberated through the ground, melding into the surrounding trees. Scootaloo slammed her forehoof again and again on the ground, caking it in mud.
Scootaloo’s muzzle dripped with tears, mud, and snot. She pulled her head up and tried to speak, eyes on the moon.
“I just want… to fly! Is that so much… to ask!?”
She closed her eyes and gripped her mane, nearly pulling her hair out. The rest of her head was covered in mud as she screamed at the top of her lungs once more, all manner of composure lost.
“Why does everypony else get to fly!? I don’t see a unicorn that can’t do magic or an earth pony that isn’t stronger than the other foals!? Why do I have to be the broken record!?”
“You’re only as broken as you believe yourself to be.”
Scootaloo screamed as a bolt of lightning struck in the distance, illuminating a shadow behind her. She rolled backward to face the shadow, only to see a cloaked pony facing her. The stallion's/cloaked pony's crimson hues chilled her to the bone. A shiver traveled down her spine, making her shiver and tremble in ways that the rain could not match. They weren’t the hues of a pony, as far as she knew. His pupils resembled those of a cat. His voice carried no threat, sounding exactly like a regular stallion, so perhaps he cast a spell to change his eye shape? Scootaloo did recall Diamond Tiara talking about changing the color of her eyes with magic, a recent fashion that has been spreading throughout Canterlot. Whether this stallion did that or not, she couldn’t see any part of this pony in the darkness besides his eyes. Scootaloo crawled a few paces away, fear plastered across her face.
The stallion took a step towards Scootaloo and lifted his hoof, but the cloak and surrounding darkness left it as an enigma.
“My apologies, little filly. I shouldn’t have snuck up on you.”
“How did you find me?” Scootaloo asked in a panic as she continued to inch away from him. She crawled back into the moonlight and spared a glance towards the road that lead back into Ponyville.
The cloaked stallion hesitated, but remained still. Scootaloo did notice his hoof drop back to the ground. “Well, little filly, you weren’t exactly being quiet out here. I’m sure ponies a mile away could hear your screaming.” The pony paused. “Would you mind telling me why you are outside in the rain, this late at night? I doubt that your parents would allow you to be out this late.”
Scootaloo’s heart felt like it was being stabbed with an ice pick. The pain throbbed in her chest and spread throughout her body, threatening to empty the lack of contents in her stomach. Instead, she gulped down her emotions as her wings pressed against her back.
“That’s none of your business,” Scootaloo replied. “Did you ever think that maybe I’m out here, away from Ponyville, so that I don’t have to talk to any ponies?”
The figure hesitated, but his response was cool and collected.
“Ah, but Miss…”
The figure waited for Scootaloo to fill in her name, but after a moment of silence, he continued.
“It's not safe for a filly to be so far from home at night. I do not wish to lecture you. I only speak as a pony that worries for your safety.”
Scootaloo shivered as she gripped her injured foreleg and shot him a cold glare. The stallion’s second step towards her only seemed to chill up her body even more.
“I don’t need your pity. I can take care of myself,” Scootaloo replied. Right as she spoke, a chill rushed through her body and she shivered, her wings rubbing against her coat to try and warm themselves as her teeth began to chatter. Only then as the mud on her face began to chill, did she wipe her face clean and throw the mud onto the floor, granted with a little help from the rain. Again, the stallion’s words didn’t miss a beat.
“I never suggested that you couldn’t,” the stallion replied. Scootaloo saw the shadow shift in stature, but only his eyes remained visible. “I don’t know you, but from the looks of it, I’d say that you know how to take care of yourself more than anypony else that I know.” The stallion paused. Scootaloo noticed his eyes traveling up and down her mud and rain soaked form. “Did you bring an umbrella or rain coat? You look chilled to the bone, Miss,”
Again, Scootaloo remained silent.
“N… no… I didn’t bring anything,” Scootaloo replied, the chilly air finally getting to her.
“Ah… I see.”
A few seconds of silence flowed between the two ponies, broken only by the light wind and rainfall. Scootaloo interrupted right as the stallion was about to continue.
“I meant to not bring it, though,” Scootaloo added as she stepped back onto her fours, wincing as she lifted most of the pressure off of her hurt hoof. “I’m training myself.”
“Oh?” The stallion hummed with interest. “And what are you training for?”
“The… Wonderbolts,” Scootaloo lied, as she gulped down the guilt that spread throughout her chest. “I have a friend who is in the Wonderbolts. She told me the training that they have to go through, and one of the obstacle courses includes a rainy night.”
If she wasn’t keeping up a facade, she would have sighed in relief as the burning sensation in her stomach began to ebb away, ameliorated by the half truth that she injected into her improvisation. The stallion seemed intrigued, as the darker shadow near his eyes tugged at his cloak.
“I see… you don’t seem like the kind of pony that would...”
“Fly?”
Another pause.
Scootaloo could have sworn that the stallion’s eyes burned into her wings. She flared her wings against her back and stiffened her stance, despite the pain that radiated through her hoof.
“Is there something wrong with that?” Scootaloo asked as she gritted her teeth. “What, you think that just because I have short wings, I wouldn’t be able to fly? Is that it?!”
“Not at all.”
Scootaloo softened her posture as the pain on her forehoof became too great. She felt tears blind her and she closed her eyes and burst into a fit of sobs as the myriad of emotions continued to swirl through her. The stallion took another step towards her, the moonlight illuminating the grey bottom of his trimmed fetlock.
“Please tell me what is the matter, little filly. A pony like you shouldn’t be this distressed on Hearth’s Warming Eve.”
Scootaloo hunched over as she continued to sob, tears melding in with the rain as a blast of lightning shot off in the distance, but the moment of light did not provide her with much vision, apart from the mud in front of her.
“I just… want one thing to go right…” Scootaloo muttered as she sobbed, but still remained loud enough for the stallion to hear. “I have been practicing for years… I’m ready… I know I am… and yet… I fail every time…”
“To fly?”
Scootaloo nodded and burst into a crying fit, covering her eyes with her hooves as she heard the stallion come closer, if only with one step. Both of his forehooves were in vision now, his silver horseshoe radiating the moonlight onto her chest. He paused as his chest came into full view, albeit it was completely covered by his cloak, along with the rest of him.
“Little filly… you’re freezing in the cold. I wish to give you my cloak, but you have to promise not to scream.”
Scootaloo nodded again, her face still covered as she sobbed. Within seconds, she felt the warmth of a cloak around her shoulders. With hesitation, Scootaloo lowered her hooves and looked up, and had to quickly jam her foreleg into her mouth to avoid screaming.
A flesh and blood batpony was staring directly at her. Despite only being about as tall as Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo’s heart nearly stopped as she met his eyes. Despite how tall and menacing he looked in the moonlight, his crimson hues were filled to the brim with worry. He stopped, hooves hanging near her neck, as if asking for permission from the filly that had nearly turned white. That didn’t stop her from nearly reeling in terror. Her instincts begged her to turn tail and run from the stallion, but she remained still.
He’s different… just like me.
“Thank you for not screaming,” the stallion said as he fastened the cloak around her neck. His smile seemed to only accentuate the momentary terror that shot through her, but was quickly melting away like marshmallows in hot chocolate. “It’s not every day that a pony like me is able to see a filly like you.”
“The handicapped kind?” Scootaloo asked as she bit back her gasps.
The stallion shook his head. “A pegasus, a pony that is not of my species.” His smile warmed as he held out a hoof to help her up, which she accepted. “I’m sorry if my form startled you. I thought that my eyes would be a dead giveaway as to my race, but I guess not. I should have been more clear.”
The stallion’s slightly somber tone was immediately relieved as Scootaloo waved away his apology.
“N… no… it’s fine. I promise.” Scootaloo smiled. “I’m not scared. You’ve been nothing but nice to me, while I've been rude to you. I’m sorry.” She held out a hoof. “My name is Scootaloo, what’s yours?”
The batpony paused as he stared at her hoof, his own slightly raising from the ground.
“It’s not my hurt hoof, if that’s what you’re wondering,” Scootaloo added, which prompted the batpony to grasp and give it a small shake, before retreating his hoof back to the mud. The rain was beginning to let up a little bit. However, the chilly wind continued to brush up against both of their bodies.
“What’s your name?” Scootaloo asked.
“St… Star Struck,” the batpony replied as he looked up at the moon. “The rain is letting up. Perhaps this is the time where I take my leave, and you can get back to your training.”
Star Struck walked over to the road and looked around, searching for any pony that could possibly watch her just in case she fell one too many times. There didn’t seem to be anypony around, and he wasn’t surprised. He turned back to Scootaloo and extended his wings for take off.
“Wait!”
Star Struck turned his gaze back to her and folded his wings against his back, confusion splayed across his features. “What is it?”
“Don’t you want your cloak back?” Scootaloo asked. “You’re soaking wet.”
Star Struck chuckled and shook his head. “Not at all, it’s yours. Happy Hearth’s Warming Eve.”
Scootaloo’s eyes widened and she gasped as her healthy hoof pulled the cloak against her face. It smelled like the night air… the kind that cleaned out a pony’s lungs when they walked outside and enjoyed the fresh air. It smelled amazing. Scootaloo began to tear up.
“You’re the first pony to give me a present today… there weren’t any under the tree when I woke up.”
“Well that is quite the shame. If I knew you beforehoof, I would have made sure that you woke up to something. Did your parents get you anything?”
Scootaloo bit her lip and looked away. “N… not really.”
“Not really?” Star Struck repeated, confused once more. “Were you only given half of a gift?”
Scootaloo bit back a sob and sniffed, hoping that she could hold onto her composure despite the pain that began to flare back up in her chest. “I don’t… I… I live in an orphanage…”
Star Struck paused as the color in his face drained away. “I… oh.”
Scootaloo nodded. “There was nopony to bring me any presents today. That’s why I came out here. If I didn’t have any presents to play with, or any visitors… or… anything else to do...”
Scootaloo paused, looking to the ground for a moment as she held back her tears, desperately trying to forget the feeling of being abandoned by her friends on Hearth's Warming. “Then I might as well work on my flying.”
“Scootaloo,” Star Struck began, with a little more authority. “You’re soaking wet, freezing, and you look like you’re going to pass out. You need to go home before you hurt yourself… or get sick.” Star Struck motioned to the stage with his hoof. “This will be here in the morning. You could always practice tomorrow.”
Scootaloo quickly shook her head, but winced as the pain in her forehoof shot up her spine. “I… don’t want to go back home. I just… anything but there…” Scootaloo’s eyes widened and she smiled as she limped a little closer to Star Struck. “Can you fly me to your house? I doubt that Mrs. Kindheart will notice if I’m gone. I’ve gone on so many adventures during the night, I already know how she works. As long as I’m in bed when she wakes up, I’ll be fine.”
Star Struck shuffled his hooves along the dirt, obviously troubled with Scootaloo’s suggestion. “I don’t know… we’ve only just met, Scootaloo. Are you sure that you want to go to a complete stranger’s home?”
“You’re not a stranger. You’re the only pony that gave me a present this year, Star Struck,” Scootaloo muttered with a sigh. “You’re a very nice pony, and I trust you. Can we?”
Star Struck looked from the moon to Scootaloo and back again, still not completely convinced. Nevertheless, he sighed and dropped to his haunches as his webbed wings spread to the sky. “Alright, let’s go.”
Scootaloo gasped. “Really?!”
Star Struck nodded and smiled. “Only for a little bit. My house isn’t exactly built for children.”
“Alright!” Scootaloo walked over to Star Struck and hugged his chest, smiling as she wrapped her forelegs around his neck. Her injured hoof immediately shot back to her side and she moaned in pain. “Ow…”
Star Struck secured a forehoof around Scootaloo’s back and held it with his other hoof to avoid hurting her injury. He looked down to meet Scootaloo’s gaze. “Oh… your hoof… don’t worry, I’ll fly slowly,” he reassured as Scootaloo nodded.
“It’s fine,” Scootaloo mumbled as she cradled her hoof to her chest. “I’m just happy to be able to fly somewhere, even if it is because of you.”
With a few powerful flaps of his wings, Star Struck began to ascend into the air, his grip tightening around Scootaloo’s hind legs to make sure that she remained still. With her view limited to the sky above, Scootaloo began to space out. The stress on her aching joints began to ebb. As she nestled into Star Struck's warm fur, Scootaloo finally found herself able to relax for the first time that day. Her eyes began to slowly narrow in exhaustion as the day’s events caught up to her. It barely took another two minutes before Scootaloo passed out in Star Struck’s hooves.
~~~
The warmth was heavenly to wake up to.
Her eyes opened to gentle hues and a flood of warmth coursing through her body. Her body no longer shivered or felt the licks of night air freezing her wet fur down to the core. Star Struck held out a steaming mug of hot cocoa.
“Thanks,” Scootaloo mumbled as she sat up and stretched while holding her hoof out for the cup. She glanced around the room in order to get a feel of her surroundings as she took a sip. The moonlight from the entrance to his room illuminated the wooden table in front of her, and Scootaloo set her cocoa down on it. She could make out a bookcase against the wall next to the entrance, barely illuminated by the moonlight, along with a wicker chair in the other side of the room. Scootaloo knew that there was much more to this room than what she was seeing, but the cramped feeling and low light of the room did not dissuade her from staying. The excess warmth and mystery of the room only further entranced her.
“I’m sorry that I don’t have a light or anything in this room. I didn’t exactly plan to bring a pegasus here,” Star Struck said with a smile.
Scootaloo shook her head, “N… no it’s okay. Sometimes, the dark is the best,” she replied as she raised the mug to her lips to sip the hot cocoa. “My room at home is best when it’s in the dark. That way, I don’t have to see that there’s not much in it.”
A chill flowed through the room as Scootaloo saw Star Struck look towards the exit, as if trying to think of something to say.
“You… don’t seem to have a healthy view of your home. Is there… something you would like to talk to me about?”
Scootaloo looked down at her mug of cocoa, and took another big sip without speaking.
“You didn’t sleep for that long, and we still have a while before I have to take you back home. I know you only met me an hour or so ago, but if you need somepony to talk to, I’m right here,” Star Struck said, not taking the hint.
Scootaloo reached forward and set the cocoa on the table, before she straightened herself and sighed. A small reminder of her nightly efforts shot up her back. She winced before relaxing as she lied against the armrest. “I guess that’s part of Hearth’s Warming Eve, talking to ponies that care about you. And… I’m tired of talking to myself.”
“What is it that upsets you?” Star Struck pulled his chair in closer and stared into Scootaloo’s eyes. “You seem so… closed off… so distant.”
Scootaloo bit her lip as her wings flared, giving her a small view of them before they folded against her back. She closed her eyes and looked down.
“For once… I wanted to do something right,” Scootaloo mumbled, barely loud enough for Star Struck to hear. “Today… I feel like I hit rock bottom. I woke up to no presents under the tree for me, my ‘friends’ are too busy with their families to say hi, and my role model is probably off somewhere, enjoying her awesome life. Then I go outside Ponyville to practice my flying, and after a whole day and most of the night, I fail and fall on my face every time. Now here I am, in the house of the only pony who paid any attention to me today, somepony who I just met. But I…” Scootaloo gulped back the unrest in her stomach, lower lip quivering as she tried to continue. “I’m exactly the same as the day I was born… a chicken… a dodo.”
Star Struck nodded as he placed a hoof underneath his chin. “Unable to fly?”
Scootaloo nodded as well, and she took a moment to sip some cocoa. “I’ve gotten better at riding my scooter… but to ride it… I have to use my wings that don’t work. Every time I get up on my scooter, I’m reminded of what I can’t do, because what I can do isn’t enough.” Scootaloo bit back a sob. “It never is.”
“Hmm, do you think that you would ride your scooter better with wings?” he asked.
“I would do everything better with wings,” Scootaloo replied, almost too quickly. “My idol, Rainbow Dash, is one of the best fliers in all of Equestria. I wanted to be just like her when I grew up… but when she was my age, she already did a Sonic Rainboom and got her cutie mark in the same day! Me on the other hoof… I’m still a blank flank… and no more closer to flying than I was when I made my friends.”
Star Struck nodded once more as he shifted in his chair.
“I know how it feels to be a blank flank, Scootaloo,” Star Struck said as he leaned into the moonlight, providing Scootaloo with the glimpse of his right flank. It was completely blank.
Scootaloo’s eyes widened as she ran a hoof across her own flank. A small pang of dread began to spread through her stomach at the idea of ponies growing up without cutie marks.
“How are you—”
“Batponies don’t get cutie marks,” Star Struck replied as he sank back into his chair. He stared directly into Scootaloo’s hues before he smiled and sighed. “We are pretty much in the dark, no pun intended, when it comes to searching for our special talents.”
“Wow,” Scootaloo replied. A flicker of warmth spread through her chest as she smiled for a brief moment. Her new friend was just like her. Her smile quickly diminished as she looked back at the chair. “But… at least you still get to fly.”
Star Struck paused, before he decided to change the subject.
“I wonder, Scootaloo… why are you so focused on flying? Perhaps you weren’t meant to fly, perhaps that’s your destiny.”
“If not flying is my destiny, then I might as well stop living right now,” Scootaloo muttered, unable to meet Star Struck’s eyes. Her eyes began to fill up with tears, and she covered her face with her hooves. “Everything that is wrong with my life… could be solved if I could fly. I could follow in Rainbow Dash’s footsteps, or get a job and save up enough money to move out of the orphanage. I wouldn’t have to worry about my cutie mark being the only thing that doesn’t pin me as a completely useless pony. My life would open up if I could fly. I could explore new parts of my life. I could go to Cloudsdale and make some real friends, instead of those jerks. They didn’t even bother to send me a card. No ‘Happy Hearth’s Warming Eve, Scootaloo’ or anything. And don’t even get me started on my supposed ‘soul sister’. She can buck off too.”
Scootaloo’s face began to burn with anger as tears slid down her cheeks. Star Struck’s expression remained impassive.
“I’m tired of being useless. I want to be somepony. When I woke up to find no presents underneath the tree for me, and busy friends that didn’t have time for me, that’s when I realized that I was a nopony. Everypony in the orphanage had something for them, except for the flightless pegasus blank flank. And then when the blank flank goes outside and spends an entire day trying to practice how to fly… she falls on her face, every time. I know I’ve had better days than this… but when they are so rare… it’s hard to stay positive when I feel like I’m getting nowhere.”
Star Struck lowered his hoof and stood up. He walked over to the couch and sat next to Scootaloo, who moved as far from him as possible. He sighed.
“I can see where you are coming from, Scootaloo. There are a lot of things that a batpony will never be able to understand or experience, simply because they are born as one. Do you know the legend of Nightmare Moon?”
Scootaloo nodded.
“Then you know the punishment that befell Princess Luna. With her gone, the batpony race suffered a lack of leadership.”
“Princess Luna was the leader of the batponies?” Scootaloo asked as her jaw dropped.
Star Struck nodded. “Yes, she was. Much like you are a subject of Princess Celestia, because you are a pegasus, the batponies are subjects of Princess Luna. Anyway… we lost our leadership. We were confused and Celestia ostracised us for believing in Princess Luna. As such, we were accused of nurturing her transformation into Nightmare Moon. All we wanted was equal love towards the night.”
Scootaloo’s eyes widened and she lowered her hooves to look at Star Struck. “Miss Cheerilee never told us about that during history,” she mumbled.
“I didn’t expect her to,” Star Struck replied with a sigh. “It’s like the old saying goes: history is written by the victors. I’m sure you’ve felt this before in your life, when someone spreads lies about you, lies that you could have proven wrong. That happened with us. We were written out of history because we supported Luna at a time when she was universally reviled. They blamed us for Princess Luna's transformation into Nightmare Moon, and my dear little filly, the grudges held by Celestia last for generations.”
“That’s horrible,” Scootaloo mumbled. “How come no one knows about this?”
Star Struck shrugged. “We never speak to Daywalkers. That’s what we call you. Or the Lucky Ones. Take your pick.” He looked down as his ears flopped down onto his head. “The Daywalkers never helped us in our time of need. They went along with what Celestia wanted, even though it was the catalyst of our banishment. The few batponies that Princess Luna took to Ponyville were silent for a reason. They didn’t want to speak to those who did not help.”
Scootaloo frowned, her blood boiling with each sentence that Star Struck uttered. “That’s not fair to you! If every batpony is as nice as you, then why can’t we talk to you?!”
Star Struck shrugged. “I think you of all people would know that life isn’t fair.”
Scootaloo sighed and moved over to Star Struck. She wrapped a hoof around his hip and gave him a huge hug. “I’m sorry.”
Star Struck’s eyes widened at the sudden hug, and he smiled lightly as he placed a hoof upon her own to keep her close. “It’s fine. I’m just glad that I got to meet you.”
Scootaloo broke the hug and looked back towards her wings, before she huffed and stood up. She began to pace around the room.
“This isn’t working. Talking about my problems is only making me wish for what I don’t have.” Scootaloo stared at the cup of cocoa and sighed. “I just wish… I could find my cutie mark so the bullies at school would leave me alone. I wish I had friends that would always be there for me when I need them.
"I wish I had a nice, warm house where I could live with my loving family instead of in that dang orphanage. I wish I had a loving family…” Scootaloo looked away from the cocoa and stared at the floor, eyes threatening to leak tears. “I wish I had a family at all. I can’t even have a trusting soul sister.”
Scootaloo then looked to her wings and brushed a hoof across both of them. Her wings fluttered in response, but she knew that she wasn’t going anywhere. “More than anything else, I just wish I could fly! I want to fly to Cloudsdale and walk around without needing somepony holding my hoof. I want to feel the clouds beneath and between my hooves when I land or shape them to my liking. I want to learn how to do stunts in midair, so that I could turn a flight towards Ponyville into a show. I’d love to take a vacation. School is off for a few weeks, and I want to go to the Crystal Empire… or even farther. Trains and blimp rides cost money, but if I had wings, the world would be mine to explore. I’d be the only one in my way.”
Star Struck smiled as he licked his fangs, which momentarily glowed in the moonlight before he closed his mouth.
“Perhaps,” Star Struck lifted a hoof underneath his chin for dramatic effect, “you could fly.”
Scootaloo stopped and turned to Star Struck, staring with disbelief as she edged to the other side of the couch. “What do you mean ‘I could fly’? You and I both know that I can’t.”
Star Struck stood up and walked over to to a wooden bookshelf, full of tomes and volumes that Scootaloo could barely make out in the darkness.
“There is a ritual… that can provide a Daywalker with batpony wings. It’s a modified version of the ritual that created the first batpony. They pledged their undying loyalty to Princess Luna... by turning into a creature of the night. Then all it took was word of mouth before Princess Luna had a race of followers.”
Star Struck pulled a tome out of the bookshelf and placed it onto his back. He then flared his wings and turned to Scootaloo. His expression seemed morose, and Scootaloo couldn’t imagine why. She was going to be able to fly! She could grow batpony wings and fly, possibly with him if he wanted!
Scootaloo’s eyes widened again as her heart skipped a beat. “Really?”
Star Struck nodded and lifted his head, showing his widening smile.
“I’m glad that you have accepted this gift, Scootaloo.”
Star Struck walked over to the table and placed his book upon it. He left it closed as he turned to Scootaloo, and pointed a forehoof at the cocoa. “Are you sure that you don’t want to finish your cocoa?”
Scootaloo shook her head, smiling as she passed a glance towards the book, before she stared back into Star Struck’s eyes. “No thank you. It was good, but I think I’ve had enough.”
Star Struck’s smile seemed to lessen as he glanced at the cocoa, but he said nothing more. He smiled again as he turned back to the book, opened to the bookmark, and promptly removed it.
“Alright,” Star Struck began as he licked his lips. “We don’t need anything besides the book for this ritual, thankfully. All I need is for you to focus on your feelings.”
Scootaloo felt a cold tingle travel up her body. She took a hesitant step towards the table, the unfamiliar ritual making her uncomfortable. Usually in the comics and stories, rituals were never a good thing. Yet, she was going to get what she always wanted. The ritual had to be good… right?
Scootaloo’s mind focused back on the task at hand.
“Focus on my feelings?” she asked.
Star Struck seemed slightly annoyed that Scootaloo was questioning him, but he nodded his head as he placed his forehooves together.
“Yes, Scootaloo, your feelings. The ritual is powered by your emotions, Scootaloo, your desire. Think off all the things that make you want to fly: the bullying and ridicule, the shame, and the lack of control over your own life. Think of every face-plant you made in the dirt today just trying to fly. Think of that and hold it close to your heart, Scootaloo. Focus on your feelings and your transformation will be over before you know it,” Star Struck replied in a haste, his face contorted to mirror his impatience.
Scootaloo nodded and closed her eyes while Star Struck began to mutter the incantation and sign with his hooves. A translucent blue aura enveloped his hooves, stars glimmering and flowing within it. The stars created miniature constellations, black holes, and supernovas, only to reform back into more stars. The efflux began to envelop Star Struck, emitting crackles and sparks. Scootaloo jumped as the sound of pure energy popped and hummed. Star Struck’s eyes took on the color of the aura.
“Mistress Moon, hear my call… I bring you a body to cleanse your fall.”
Scootaloo’s eyes widened as she tried to take a step back from Star Struck, only to find that her body was immobile. She laughed nervously and stole a glance behind her at the exit. The moonlight upon her began to glow even brighter, becoming almost blinding. She blinked and covered her eyes.
“What are you doing?” she asked as the moonlight began to increase in intensity. The light began to burn her, spreading pain throughout her. It shot up her frame, as if she was being boiled alive by the moonlight. She fell onto her side and convulsed while Star Struck stood on his hind legs, eyes filled with a manic laughter as his smile widened to impossible proportions.
“It’s getting to be that time, little filly,” Star Struck muttered as he pantomimed pouring the aura into one hoof. The energy concentrated into his right hoof, leaving the other empty as it continued to dangerously crackle and spark. He began to mutter more incantations as his bare hoof glowed crimson and orange. It looked like lava was dripping off of his hooves as it continuously flowed onto the ground and disintegrated, only to be recycled back into his hoof. “Look at me, Scootaloo.”
The heat from the moon slowly melted to nothing and Scootaloo slowly opened her eyes to see Star Struck, now standing on his table. His manic smile glowed in the aura of light as he laughed. He licked his fangs as his pupils dilated, leaving them more than mere slits in his eyes.
“LOOK… AT… ME!”
Scootaloo shivered and whimpered as she looked up at Star Struck. Her eyes glistened with tears as she tried to inch away from him. Star Struck stepped off of the table and towards her. He slowly and maliciously placed one hoof in front of the other as he steadily came closer.
Star Struck waved his right hoof over his flank. The fur simmered as grey fur gave way to the bright colors of a cutie mark.
“You foals are way too easy to trick,” Star Struck cackled a maniacal laugh. “A little grey paint and some darkness, and you’re as clueless as Celestia when it comes to my plans!”
Scootaloo quivered in terror at Star Struck’s sudden change in demeanor. She opened her mouth to scream, but it lasted hardly a second before her throat was crushed in a telekinetic grip. She wrapped her hooves around the force that was choking her. Tears slid down her cheeks as she gasped for breath. Then, Star Struck slammed her onto the floor and pushed her onto her back.
Star Struck chuckled again as the red light faded, instead replaced with the blue incantation as he stepped between her and the entrance.
“You see, my little filly, I’ve been watching you ever since I saw you at Nightmare Night. I was one of the stallions that rode down to Ponyville, and the moment I saw the fear in your eyes, I was curious. They were not ameliorated by the company of your so-called friends. You were alone and fending for yourself that night, once that Granny Smith pony was out of the picture. You were all alone as you walked home. You had nothing, and I’m glad to see that it hasn’t changed. You’re a filly that is running out of rationalizations for her terrible life, and it’s beginning to affect you. I could see the angst and anger in your eyes that night. You enjoyed your little trick and treating, but the moment your friends left you, the facade came down. I followed you, watched you since that night, because I wanted to see if you could be the catalyst for my plans. The one that could bring forth a new world order with the second coming of Nightmare Moon.”
Star Struck pointed his hooves in Scootaloo’s face. The aura licked and flicked at her muzzle, singing some of her hairs to a crisp. He stamped on her chest, knocking the wind out of her.
“I watched you sneak out of your orphanage room night after night as you tried to find meaning in your otherwise pathetic life. I could feel the bitterness and depression dripping off of you, even though you hid it from those wastes of space that you call your friends. You have nothing to your name, besides the scooter that you don’t even want to use anymore.”
Star Struck smirked as he raised his hooves over his head, the discharge crackling like lightning as it flicked and licked the stone walls. The energy shot out, chipping off a piece of the wall as Star Struck almost lost his balance. His pupils dilated in surprise as the energy flicked again, shooting near Scootaloo’s ear before it retracted back into his hooves. His forelegs looked like he was pushing against a wall as all of his muscles contracted, veins bulging in his legs. The aura was quickly becoming too overwhelming for him to contain.
“But I’ll…”
Star Struck gasped as the energy shot out towards him, but it only flicked his shoulder. He continued. “I’ll save you from your misery, Scootaloo. I am your best friend… and I will turn you into so much more. Just close your eyes, little filly, and it will all be over soon enough.”
Scootaloo felt tears slide down her cheeks and she cried out as she tried to escape from under his crushing hoof.
“Please!? I don’t want to die!” Scootaloo begged as she stared up into merciless eyes with horror. “I’ll do anything! Please!?”
“It is not death, if you are reborn as something bigger… and better. We’re gonna make history, Scootaloo, you and me.”
Star Struck lifted his hind hoof from Scootaloo’s chest and rubbed her cheek, but the emotion in his gesture was absent. It was merely a formality, as if shaking hooves.
“I wonder if before your parents died, they told you not to talk to strangers. Not that it matters… Now close your eyes, Scootaloo.”
With her heart racing in her chest and her stomach about to empty in front of her, Scootaloo closed her eyes and sobbed as the crackling ball of cobalt energy was brought down onto her body. The last thing she felt was a small sucking feeling on her forehead as the energy sank into her chest. His glowing, crimson hues were the last thing she saw before the light left her eyes.
Author's Note
Thank you for reading, and have a wonderful day.
She could have sworn that she put up the closed sign.
Twilight Sparkle rubbed her eyes before she descended the steps towards her living room. Sometimes, Twilight cursed how light of a sleeper she was. The sound that awoke her reverberated through practically the whole house, and yet while she was trotting down the stairs, Spike was still sound asleep. No matter, if someone was troubling her this late at night, then it must be something important. As if agreeing with her, another loud series of knocks echoed off the door. Her vision blurred as she tried to adjust to the light that radiated from the hovering candle alongside her. She walked over to the front door and levitated it open.
Rainbow Dash flew into the room and looked around, frantically turning every which way. She held a flashlight in hoof and pointed it in all of the nooks and crannies of the library. She was panting. Her eyes bulged nearly out of their sockets as she cleansed the entire room with her light. Her wings thrashed the air as she turned to Twilight.
“Rainbow Dash, what’s the matter? Are you okay? I know we haven’t seen each other today, but if you wanted your Hearth’s Warming Eve present, you could have waited until morning. I’ll go get it. I have it in my room.”
Rainbow descended a little and looked right into Twilight’s eyes.
“Twilight, Scootaloo’s gone missing.”
Twilight’s eyes widened, but she kept her composure.
“Rainbow, are you sure that—”
“I KNOW THAT SHE IS MISSING!” Rainbow yelled, seething as she dashed into the kitchen and began to turn it upside down. Every cupboard was opened and every shelf was examined while Twilight hesitantly followed.
Twilight kept her eyes down, ears flattening against her head. “Sorry, Rainbow Dash. I’m just trying to make sure that you aren’t overreacting. You know how much Scootaloo gets around, Rainbow. You two could have just been missing each other.”
Rainbow stopped her ransacking and looked over to Twilight. Her own ears fell in guilt. She sighed and lowered to the floor, her wings relaxing against her back. “I’m sorry… Twilight. I’ve just been… hearing from everyone today that Scootaloo is fine, but I know something’s wrong. She’s not in any of the usual places.”
Twilight set the candle on top of an end table and rushed back to the stairs to call Spike. However he was already at the top, rubbing his eyes in exhaustion.
“What’s wrong, Twilight?” he asked.
Twilight attempted to speak, but she was cut off by Rainbow, who flew back to the front door and closed it. Twilight was ready to fill in the blanks for Spike, but Rainbow instead turned back to her and Spike, her eyes leaking with tears.
“I… I’m not overreacting. Just please… trust me. I’ll explain while we look for her. But every second that we aren’t looking for her is a second that she’s alone,” she muttered.
Twilight nodded and levitated her saddlebag onto her back. She turned to Spike and opened her mouth to speak, but he already smiled and nodded as well.
“Winter wear!” Spike replied as he turned to the bedroom. “I folded it this morning. I’ll get it!”
Twilight turned back to Rainbow as Spike disappeared back into the bedroom.
“Rainbow, where were the last places that you looked?” Twilight asked as she levitated a book out of the library and opened it on the nearest table. She opened it to one of the many bookmarks within: a map of Ponyville.
Rainbow shut her eyes and shook her head. “I just… I looked everywhere in Ponyville. You’re right… I’ve probably been missing her… but… I thought that I could find her on my own… and I can’t…”
Rainbow sank to the ground and covered her eyes as tears began to stream down her cheeks. “I had to work late today because one of the ponies in charge called in sick. I was going to visit Scootaloo after I got out of work. But when I got to the orphanage, she was gone.”
Twilight levitated a tissue in front of Rainbow and moved closer to offer a hug, but Rainbow held up a hoof. Instead, she lowered her forelegs and smiled lightly before she took the tissue and blew her nose.
“I found imprints of her scooter at my house… she tried to come see me… and I wasn’t home. Apple Bloom said that she didn’t see her and Sweetie Belle isn’t even in Ponyville, so neither her or Rarity have seen her either. She’s just… gone.”
“Twilight, I found your scarf and your—” Spike started as he rushed back to the staircase, but Twilight waved a hoof in his direction and he quieted down as Twilight moved closer.
Twilight hugged Rainbow as tight as she could while her wings flared out to surround her friend. As the hopelessness of the situation began to sink in, Rainbow couldn’t help but bury her face into Twilight’s chest, fighting back the urge to cry.
Twilight patted her back and gulped down her worries as she spoke again. “Rainbow, we’ll find Scootaloo. We just have to get more ponies to help us.” She turned to Spike, who stood at attention with a flashlight to his forehead. He had on a raincoat and galoshes, and was carrying her winter wear within a claw. He threw her clothes towards her and Twilight caught them with a spell before she let go of Rainbow and dressed herself. “Spike, I’m going to need you to go to Sugarcube Corner and Sweet Apple Acres to get their help.”
“Wait,” Rainbow began as she looked over at Spike. “Don’t tell Apple Bloom what happened. She’s worried enough as it is, and I don’t want her to think that this is her fault. If you want to get their help, do it in secret.”
Twilight finally finished dressing herself and turned back to face Rainbow with a consoling look. “Rainbow, I don't want to get Apple Bloom worried either, but we're going to need everypony's help if we want to find her.”
Rainbow didn’t seem convinced. She turned her back to Twilight and sighed as she spread her wings. “I’ll get Applejack, you round up the search parties.”
Rainbow turned to dash off, but she waited a moment upon hearing Twilight speak again.
“Rainbow, Apple Bloom could tell us the places Scootaloo goes that we don’t know about.”
Twilight stepped towards Rainbow and placed a hoof on her back, meeting Rainbow’s gaze.
“If I was missing, you would want to know about it. Apple Bloom is one of Scootaloo’s best friends, and I don’t think you should hide it from her.”
Twilight lowered her hoof and smiled lightly, trying to cheer Rainbow up. “I know you just want to look out for Apple Bloom, but in a time like this, the last thing she’ll want is to be treated like a foal.”
Rainbow nodded solemnly as she looked down at the floor, wings half-bending towards her back. “You’re right, Twilight. Apple Bloom deserves to know. I’ll tell her when I get there.”
Rainbow spread her wings and turned back to the door. “I’ll get everypony I can and meet you back here so that we can split into groups.”
Twilight nodded as she turned to Spike. “Spike, get out a scroll for me, please.”
Spike nodded and walked over to one of the bookcases behind him, where he pulled out a fresh scroll and tossed it onto the table near the book.
Rainbow scuffed her hoof along the floor before she opened the door. She paused and sniffed. “Twilight… if something happens to her… is it my fault?”
“No,” Twilight replied with finality as she flew over to Rainbow and nuzzled her shoulder. “Rainbow, wherever Scootaloo went, whatever has happened to her, there was no way you could have known. I know you care for her but you and I both know you can't be there for her every minute of every day. All that matters is that we get her home safe and sound.”
Rainbow hesitated before she smiled and spread her wings. “You’re right, Twilight. Chin up and eyes ahead!” With a mighty push of her wings, Rainbow burst out the front door and soared off into the night.
Twilight levitated the door closed and turned back to Spike as all of the color left her face. “Spike… we’re gonna need a few more scrolls. We need a map of Ponyville and the Everfree Forest if we are going to find her.”
“Yes, maam!”
~~~
“It worked… it worked… she’s back…”
The crazed muttering of an unknown stallion was not exactly her preferred alarm clock, but it got the job done. Amethyst eyes opened to the stone ceiling above. She squinted, trying to focus on anything but the flares of pain that burned throughout her body. From head to hoof, it felt like her flesh and fur were on fire, and not even the cold floor could relieve the torture.
“She’s back… she’s back…”
A piercing migraine shot through her skull and began to spread like poison. She bared her fangs and seethed as she rubbed her head against the floor to try and replace her pain with something else. Scraping, cutting, bruising, anything. Her fangs nipped against the inside of her cheek as she grunted. Blood began to pool in her mouth as she stomped her hooves on the floor. Hatred, boiling hatred filled her body, and this unfortunate subject was close enough to feel her wrath.
“She’s awake! Your Majesty, are you doing okay?” the voice asked.
She growled and opened her eyes again upon hearing the stallion take a step towards her. He was in full view now. A smile spread across his face, one that rivaled fillies and colts when the ice cream pony came around their neighborhood. Her eyes began to glow a malevolent purple as she opened her mouth to reveal her fangs. Small droplets of blood leaked out of her mouth and onto the floor as she lifted herself to her haunches. Her newly formed horn glowed, mirroring the malevolence of her glare as it sparked and crackled. The stallion choked as he was hoisted in the air. His hooves wrapped around the crushing force around his throat as he choked on his words.
“Your… Highness…”
“How dare you mock me… you traitorous whelp…” Nightmare Moon replied as she stood, using a nearby table for support. Her horn glowed even brighter, tightening her grip around the batpony’s windpipe. As she surveyed the room, giving a passing glance upon the spellbooks and black magic tomes within this stallion’s shelves, her grip loosened and her eyes faded until the stallion was dropped back onto the stone.
Star Struck gasped as he caught his breath, coughing and writhing in pain on the floor.
“Your Highness… I brought you back…” he said with a cough. “They said you were gone forever. They said I had no chance.” He smirked as he stood up and walked over to Nightmare Moon. His eyes widened as he remembered his manners, and he sank to his haunches a few inches from her, lowering his head to the ground. “I… am your last disciple. I… you don’t even know the trouble that I went through to bring you back… Your Highness.”
“Are you insinuating that I was trouble at all, whelp?” Nightmare Moon asked as her eyes glowed once more.
Star Struck winced and shook his head, scuffing his forehead on the stone. “No! Not at all, Your Highness! It was completely worth it!”
Nightmare Moon stared down at the groveling pony. She howled as the pain that wracked her body flared up once more. “This pain… my body feels like I’m on the surface of the sun…”
“The body that I put you in… Your Highness…” Star Struck muttered. “I injected your soul into the body of a filly… and it had to stretch to accommodate you…”
Nightmare Moon spread her wings and turned her gaze to them. She carried a perfect wingspan, with ebony feathers that mirrored the rest of her coat and glowed in the moonlight. Her eyes mirrored those of her subject as she looked down at him, catlike and accepting of the darkness. Her height mirrored that of Celestia, and as she raised a hoof to pull out a strand of her mane, she could see the horn atop her head. Long, spiraled, and fit for a queen, Nightmare Moon smirked as she pulled out a strand and looked at it. The color of dusk reflected the moonlight back at her, a radiant pink with a single star inside of the strand. Apart from a few changes, her new body fit nicely.
As the examination of her new body began to bore her, the burning waves of pain reminded her of their existence. She growled and pressed her forehooves against the floor as her horn began to glow. “And pray tell me, couldn’t you have found a better body than this forsaken filly?!” Nightmare Moon screamed as a bolt of lightning shot out of her horn and crashed into the wall next to Star Struck. When the smoke from the blast cleared, a crater the size of a wrecking ball was left in the wall. Minute cracks spread throughout the stone, up until they reached the ceiling and tapered off. The crater was darker than the rest of the wall, and not a single chip of the stone had fallen to the floor. It was just… gone.
Nightmare Moon gasped. Some of the pain had disappeared.
“That’s never happened before.”
“You’re… more powerful than ever… Your Highness,” Star Struck uttered as he finally raised his head. “I spent years looking up the ritual of how to bring you back… and another year finding the perfect subject to be your host. The filly that you inhabited was the unhappiest filly in Equestria. She had friends that betrayed her, a role model that didn’t pay attention to her, and lacked a cutie mark despite her age. She had nothing… and I filled her to the brim with you.”
Nightmare Moon smirked as she closed her eyes, her horn beginning to glow. A wind picked up inside of the room, capturing nearby items as a vortex formed around her. The pain within her body began to ebb as the wind increased in speed. Books flew around the room as the cup of cocoa shattered against the wall, breaking into shards that chipped against the stone.
“State your name…”
Star Struck lowered his head and placed his forehooves on his neck as he looked up at her. “S... Star Struck… Your Highness…” he muttered.
The wind within the room made no sound as it continued to intensify. Nightmare Moon smiled lightly as she gazed upon Star Struck with a look of malevolence.
“You have proven your loyalty to the Goddess of the Night, Star Struck. I have been watching the world while imprisoned, and my desire to bring forth eternal night must be forgone for now. Those meddling six ponies are going to try and put a stop to my plans, and thus, I must get rid of them first. Once they are out of the picture, then along with Celestia and that other traitor, they will fall before the Moon.”
Star Struck’s smile widened as he raised his head. “Y… yes… Your Highness. I’ve collected notes on all of the Elements of Harmony. If you were to attack… your chances of winning would be greater than ever. Your spirit inhabits a body that will provide you with endless power, and the Elements of Harmony are no longer being used.”
The whirlwind seemed to cap at its speed as Nightmare Moon tapped a hoof to her chin. “Ah yes, that’s right. Their one trump card was placed back within the Tree. How risky of them, to abandon the only things that could stop me.”
“They thought that you would never come back, Your Highness. After you were banished from the Element of Generosity, they thought that you were gone forever.”
Nightmare Moon noticed that the cut in her mouth had healed already. She lapped up the drying blood upon her lips and shuddered in delight as the copper flavor ran down her throat. She closed her eyes and grinned as one of the books within the whirlwind dropped on the floor between her and Star Struck.
“Is this your book of notes… Star Struck?” she asked without opening her eyes.
Star Struck nodded. “Yes… Your Majesty. I kept it all within that notebook so that when you were revived, I could show you.”
“Well then, your planning has been impeccable.”
Nightmare Moon’s eyes opened to a gaze of bone-chilling focus, staring at her subject as another book landed next to the first.
“And is this the tome that you used to revive me?”
“Y… yes… Your Majesty,” Star Struck replied, shivers running down his spine.
“Is this the only copy?”
“Y… yes…”
“Good… good… you made this all the more easier for me.” Nightmare Moon began to circle around Star Struck. Her horn glowed brighter and the winds began to chip at the walls. Small chunks of stone fell out and began to circle with the wind. “Now tell me, Star Struck… why is it that you have brought me back? Celestia won, three times now… wouldn’t you think that I was a lost cause?”
Star Struck’s words came slowly as he shivered with fear.
“I… thought that—”
“LOWER YOUR HEAD WHEN YOU ARE SPEAKING TO ME, WHELP!”
Star Struck cowered as he slammed his head to the floor.
“I’m sorry!” he yelled, eyes tearing up. “I believe in you! I believe in the power of the moon! You’ve never got the attention that you deserved, and our race has suffered a generation of ignorance because of it! That coward Luna has accepted how history wishes to write us batponies, and she needs to pay!”
Nightmare Moon chuckled as she walked forward and placed a forehoof onto Star Struck’s back. She unfolded his wing and pressed it against the floor as she looked down at him. Star Struck whimpered and shivered under her touch, but she merely began to rub his wing as if coaxing a foal to sleep.
“So… you revived me because you believe in the cause. Is that what you are telling me?”
Star Struck frantically nodded as he looked towards his trapped wing.
“Merely from my touch, you shudder like a schoolfoal that has done something wrong. Surely my subject would not be so scared if he has nothing to hide from me.”
Star Struck’s eyes widened as he felt Nightmare Moon press down on his wing, pushing him further into the ground with each word. “Your Majesty… I… have nothing to hide. I did all of this with my utmost devotion to you… and with the Elements of Harmony out of commission… and the raw power that you have… we could eliminate the Princesses and rule Equestria under the hoof of everlasting night.”
Nightmare Moon raised an eyebrow before she released his wing and stepped back. Star Struck could see the moonlight reflecting off of her bared fangs as she stared maniacally into his eyes.
“We?”
Her smirk widened as she arched her head back in laughter. Her laugh shook the walls as it bounced around the room, amplified by the swirling vortex of wind. Starstruck's ear drums threatened to rupture from the volume. He whimpered and closed his eyes in shame. When he opened them again, Nightmare Moon was inches from his face, staring deeply into his eyes again.
“Do you honestly believe that I am going to use you for my plans? Did you ever think for a minute that I would ever work with somepony who was a liability?”
Star Struck bit his lip. His stomach felt like a bucket of ice had been emptied into it as he tried to speak.
“I… but… I revived you…” he whimpered. “I… I’m your only disciple. You said it yourself.”
Nightmare Moon giggled as she raised a forehoof to her chest. “Indeed… I did. It’s a shame that my only disciple is also the only one capable of sending me back.”
Star Struck’s eyes widened. “B… but I would never do that to you, Your Highness! I brought you here because I believe in you, and I would never betray you!”
Nightmare Moon waved her hoof dismissively. “Ah ah… I don’t know that.” She pressed a hoof to her mouth to stifle another giggle. As her hoof slammed back to the ground, the stone cracked in every direction. “I’m not going to be making the same mistake again. Tell me, whelp… what are you… to me?”
Star Struck paused as he lifted a hoof to respond, but words failed him.
“You are my summoner,” Nightmare Moon responded. “It is by your hooves by which I was spawned. Those same hooves can send me away. What if you are brought to the side of the sun, and turn against me?”
“But Your Highness, I would never—”
“What if you decide you no longer need me after I’ve taken over, and you seize power for yourself?” Nightmare Moon licked her lips as she shifted to the side, like a cat stalking her prey. “As long as you possess that knowledge, I can’t trust you… and I won’t trust you.”
“I…” Star Struck looked down at the floor as he began to search for anything that could reverse her decision. “I… I devoted decades of research to you! I mentally and physically tortured one of the most hopeless fillies in Ponyville so that she would have a perfect supply of dark emotions for you! I tore that filly’s mind apart for you! I made her hate everything that she held dear, and this is how you repay me?!”
Nightmare Moon’s eye twitched.
The whirlwind immediately subsided. Chips of stone, ripped up books, and glass shards fell around the room as Nightmare Moon rose into the air.
Nightmare Moon’s eyes flashed white, and her horn glowed bright purple. A lightning bolt shot out of her horn and ignited Star Struck’s wing.
Star Struck screamed in pain as he tried to roll around on the ground, but was held in place by a telekinetic aura. He whimpered and continued to yell as the leathery flesh bubbled and burned. Nightmare Moon descended and stamped on the tip of his wing, holding it against the floor as it continued to burn.
“You dare tell me what I owe you?!”
Nightmare Moon asked as she released her magical grip on Star Struck’s body, only to stamp down on the tip of his wing, crushing the bone underneath her hoof. The fire traveled up his wing, burning all of his flesh until it reached the bone. Nightmare Moon ignited his other wing and stepped off of him.
“You dare lie to my face?!”
Nightmare Moon picked him up with one hoof and threw him across the room. He slammed into his bookcase as the flares upon his wings ignited the overturned books.
Nightmare Moon looked at her hoof in surprise, before her expression changed back to her trademark smirk. She shot another lightning bolt towards the table, igniting it. Star Struck flailed as he tried to put out the flames.
She levitated the two tomes that she picked out and tossed them towards the growing fire as she walked over to Star Struck and picked him up with magic.
“You are nothing to me, whelp,” Nightmare Moon snarled as she walked out of the entrance to Star Struck’s house, and onto the cliff that overlooked Everfree Forest. The flames upon Star Struck’s wings fizzled out in the chilling wind as she held him in the air and over the chasm. “The most I will give you… is a quick and painless death. Close your eyes… little colt…” Nightmare Moon giggled. “It’ll all be over soon enough.”
Star Struck sobbed, tears spilling down his cheeks as he looked down below. Hundreds of feet were between him and the ground and as he looked at the charred husks of his wings, he closed his eyes again.
“We were supposed to… rule together.”
Nightmare Moon began to slowly release the magical grip on Star Struck as if slipping him through her hooves until she was practically choking him.
“Please… Nightmare Moon… I’ll do anything…”
There was silence for a moment. She could hear Star Struck’s heart pounding in his chest as he whimpered.
Nightmare Moon threw Star Struck up in the air. He soared in an arc and yelled as he flapped what was left of his wings in a panic. Right as Star Struck turned in the air to face Nightmare Moon, a lightning bolt engulfed his vision.
Nightmare Moon looked down towards the Everfree Forest, and surveyed the environment. Not a fragment of Star Struck remained, and if there was, his ashes were now disseminated through the night-time air.
She closed her eyes and smiled as she slowly sank down to the ground. Her body disintegrated into a purple fog with stars accentuated in the wisp. The fog turned to face the rapidly burning house before it rushed off into the night sky, gliding on the wind.
~~~
“Rainbow Dash! Is that a fire!”
Rainbow stopped in midair and looked up at Apple Bloom, who had pointed off in the distance. Rainbow turned towards where she was pointing, and marveled at the sight. Smoke was billowing out of an opening within one of Everfree’s mountains. Rainbow felt a chill run down her spine and the filly on her back shivering. She had a feeling that it wasn’t the cold that made them both uncomfortable.
“Hold on,” Rainbow muttered to Apple Bloom as the filly nodded and did as she was told.
Rainbow saw a flicker of purple rising from the mountain. Her heart skipped a beat as she raced towards the flicker while Apple Bloom held onto her for dear life.
“Stop!” Rainbow yelled as she panted. The flicker grew bigger until she could identify it as a fog that freely levitated through the air.
“What are you going so fast for?!” Apple Bloom asked before she looked up to see the fog that stopped a few feet from Rainbow and her.
The fog paused, merely lingering as Rainbow stopped flying as well.
Rainbow drifted to the side, eyes on the fog as it hovered, unwavering.
“What is it?” Apple Bloom whispered, but Rainbow shushed her.
A menacing laugh echoed through the fog, reverberating through the wind until it reached Rainbow’s ears. Her fur stood on end as she stopped strafing.
“Show yourself!” Rainbow yelled, a vein in her forehead throbbing.
The fog began to swirl around and meld together, as if it was batter being poured into a mold. The stars within disappeared as an equine torso materialized and solidified. The fog coalesced and slowly hardened, forming obsidian wings and a regal horn. With one large flap of her wings, the rest of her form hardened, sending a shockwave that ruffled Rainbow Dash’s hair, but she remained still, her features frozen.
Rainbow gasped as she stared into Nightmare Moon’s eyes. They conveyed an emotion that she had never seen before: bloodlust. Before, they simply contained the desire for defeat. Now, as Rainbow hovered there, she was a perfect target with a weak and defenseless filly on her back. Her mind grew numb.
Those eyes. They were different now… but Dash knew those eyes.
“S...Scootaloo?”
Nightmare Moon smirked as her horn began to glow. She flew a few inches back to prepare a spell. However, right as she was about to fire, Rainbow saw her veer off course with a surprised gasp. The spell shot out of her horn, missing Rainbow and Apple Bloom completely as it soared into the sky and out of sight. Nightmare Moon stared behind Rainbow and paused as her horn grew dim.
“Why did she stop?”
Rainbow paused as well, taken off guard before Nightmare Moon jabbed her head in Rainbow’s direction while her horn glowed for a split second.
Rainbow was turned upside down and thrown around like a cowmare on a bull until Apple Bloom’s grip faltered. Her fur slipped between Apple Bloom’s hooves and she screamed as she fell, staring up at Rainbow in terror as she flapped her hooves.
“APPLE BLOOM!”
After what felt like ages, Dash managed to break free of Nightmare Moon's spell with one great push of her wings. She shot down like a bullet, hooves outstretched as she bridged the gap between herself and Apple Bloom. She wrapped her hooves around Apple Bloom just before she dipped below the tree line, pulling the terrified filly in close to her. She flew level with the trees and finally stopped. As she turned to look up into the sky, Nightmare Moon was nowhere to be seen.
Apple Bloom shivered and gripped Rainbow’s chest as she cried. “Why is Nightmare Moon back? I thought you got rid of her!”
Rainbow however wasn’t listening.
Why would… Nightmare Moon have Scootaloo’s eyes?
Rainbow looked back to the mountain and the cloud of smoke that continued to billow from it. She was about to fly towards it when a jab finally caught her attention.
“Why does she look different?! What’s going on, Rainbow Dash?!”
“Will you shut up for a minute?!” Rainbow yelled as she glared down at Apple Bloom.
Apple Bloom bit her lip and looked away. Rainbow Dash's expression softened before she sighed. She turned to fly towards the mountain.
“Just… look, I’m sorry,” Rainbow muttered. “I don’t know what’s up. Your guess is as good as mine... but just please… I need you to be quiet for a minute.”
Apple Bloom buried her face into Rainbow’s chest and closed her eyes with a soft nod. “I’m sorry… I’m just… so confused.”
“You and me both, Kid.”
~~~
As Rainbow descended onto the mountain, she covered her muzzle with a hoof while Apple Bloom let go of her and stood on her own hooves. Rainbow stepped as close as she could until the heat coming from the entrance made her eyes water. With a massive pump of her wings, the smoke fanned alongside her and up into the air so she could see. The fire burned along the outsides of the entrance and as Rainbow peered inside, she could see the charring pages of textbooks and tomes. But one particular item in the back of the room caught her eye. A slowly browning scooter sat in the back corner, its paint chipping off in the heat.
“No…”
Rainbow flew into the room and coughed as she grabbed onto the burning scooter. She cried out as a flare jumped onto her and began to singe her fur. She blew a small gust with her wings to beat it back, but her ears straightened upon hearing the creaking of wood behind her. The bookcase’s base gave out, and the flaming wood began to collapse onto her. Rainbow jumped out of the way and grabbed the scooter before she threw it out of the room. She soared alongside the scooter until it landed on a particularly jagged rock that split the board into pieces.
Rainbow flew up into one of the clouds and brought it down to the mountain. She squeezed it until the water extinguished the scooter. Rainbow said nothing as the cloud ran dry in her hooves.
Apple Bloom’s lower lip quivered as she looked down at the charred remains of Scootaloo’s scooter.
“Rainbow… what’s wrong?”
Apple Bloom shook Rainbow, to no avail. Her eyes filled up with tears as she sobbed.
“Why are you looking like that?! Where’s Scootaloo?!”
Rainbow remained silent.
“Rainbow? Rainbow?! WHAT HAPPENED TO MY FRIEND?!”
Author's Note
If you're so inclined, I have information on the latest chapter within my recent blog post. Long story short, I had a 40 hour a week job throughout all of February until now, which is why I fell off the face of the map. Combined that with around 7 edits of this chapter, that's why it took a while to get this out. Either way, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I'm out for now, but let's hope I can be more consistent with updates.
